Farm fires rise in M.P., drop in Punjab, Haryana: IARI data

Madhya Pradesh leads in stubble burning incidents, surpassing Punjab and Haryana, causing pollution concerns in Delhi.

It was neither Punjab nor Haryana — the two States caught in the political slugfest for burning stubble — but Madhya Pradesh that recorded the highest number of stubble burning incidents this year, according to data released by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) on Saturday.

In fact, the total number of farm fires dropped in Punjab and Haryana but rose in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Since 2020, this is the first time that M.P. has topped the list.

Farmers set fire to paddy stubble to quickly clear the agricultural fields for sowing wheat as the window between harvesting paddy and sowing wheat — mid-October to mid-November — is short. Delays in the sowing of grain affect production.

Stubble burning has been considered a major cause of pollution in Delhi and its adjoining regions during this period.

“M.P., U.P. and Rajasthan have shown a significant increase in farm fires, and we are looking into the issue. But we are yet to find out a conclusive reason for this. The reasons why farmers burn stubble are different in these three States compared to Punjab and Haryana,” a Central government official said.

There have been multiple reports of farmers in Punjab and Haryana “burning stubble after around 4 p.m.” to escape the watch of satellites.

Moreover, the IARI considers September 15 to November 30 as the complete harvest season. But it shifts beyond this period in some regions, as per officials.